George served as a member of the House of Commons Defence Select Committee from 1979 until 2005, serving as Chairman of the Committee from 1997 to 2005. He became a member of the Privy Council in 2001.

Although he was an MP for 36 years, George was never on the frontbench. He is seen as a supporter of NATO and a strong military. He is Leader of the UK Delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly and was elected Vice President of the Assembly in November 2007. In 2002, he was elected President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, and was re-elected in 2003. Between 2004 and June 2006, he served as President Emeritus and Special Advisor on Mediterranean Affairs. He also regularly acts an election monitor, most recently in the disputed Presidential elections in Ukraine and Georgia.

In May 2011, George was awarded the Medal of Honour by the President of Georgia for his considerable contribution to the democratisation of that country. In October 2011, he was made an Honorary Freeman of the Borough by Walsall Council in recognition of his 36 years service as Member of Parliament for Walsall South.

George has been married to Lisa Toelle since 1992. He is an Honorary Political Advisor to The Royal British Legion and Vice-President of the UK's largest professional security organisation, The Security Institute. In 1981 he was a visiting lecturer at the University of Essex. He is a supporter of Walsall F.C. and a Visiting Professor, University of Portsmouth, Institute of Criminal Justice Studies.